Guide means for handbag frames



June 12, W. A. DION GUIDE MEANS FOR HANDBAG FRAMES A Filed Nov. 18, 1948 INVENTOR. William A Dior:

Patented June 12, 1951 GUIDE MEANS FOR HANDBAG FRAMES William A. Dion, North Attleboro, Mass, assignor to Evans 'Case 00., a corporation of Massachusetts Application November 18, 1948, Serial No. 60,691

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to a bag frame and more particularly to a guiding means for holding the two frame members in alignment.

In the formation of bag frames which are pivoted at the outer ends of the U-shaped members, it is found that some means is necessary to maintain the members in alignment when in closed position, and it is usual to provide these aligning means along the legs of the U-shaped members which are pivoted together. Alignments at this location leaves them exposed and is expensive to provide.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a centrally located guide and one which 'will be relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Another object of this invention is to provide a guide which will align the two U-shaped members, both in a lateral, as well as in a vertical relationship.

Another object of this invention is to provide a guiding arrangement which will be easily and quickly produced and which will be attractive and neat in appearance.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the bag frame illustrating in dotted lines a bag as attached thereto;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the center portion of the bag frame;

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view looking from beneath the bag frame and illustrating the guide which is the subject of this invention; and

Figure 4 is a section on line 44 of Figure 2 showing the guide and also the clasp for holding the frames together.

Figure 5 is a section through one of the guiding pins.

In proceeding with this invention, I provide a pair of U-shaped members which are hinged together at their free ends and are adapted to align one with the other in contiguous relation. A clasp is provided at their center and beneath this clasp a guiding means for aligning and holding the sections in registering relation is provided, comprising a tongue on one member and pins to engage the edges of the tongue on the other member.

With reference to the drawings, I0 designates one member and II the other member of a pair of bag frame members of a generally U-shaped structure having leg portions l2 and I3 on the member ID, and legs I4 and [5 on the member ll. These leg portions are pivoted one to the other by pivots l6 and I1 so that the members may swing, one relative to the other for opening the bag; whereas, when moved to closed position, they will engage in edge-to-edge registering relation for closing the bag.

A catch designated generally I8 holds the bag in closed relation. The clasp I8 is shown in section in Figure 4 and illustrates in greater detail how the catch operates. The frame member II] has a projection or lug l9 secured thereon, while the frame member H has a latch 20 which is hingedly mounted as at El by means of some resilient spring to permit it to rock and lift its notch 22 from the lug I9. This rocking is readily performed by means of a handle 23. After the handle is rocked to lift the notch 22 from the catch IS, the frame members may be swung about their hinges.

In order that there may be a perfect alignment of the frame members, I have provided a tongue 25 on the under surface 26 of the fram member ll directly beneath the clasp l8 and soldered the same in position, or the same may be fixed to the frame member II in any suitable manner. The tongue extends across the joint 21 between the frame members l6 and H so as to overlap this joint and to extend along the under surface 28 of the frame member It. This tongue is curved at its end as at 29 and is in such position that it engages the under surface of the frame member It] so as to align the frame members vertically.

In order that the frame members may be aligned laterally, a pair of pins 30 and 3| are positioned to extend downwardly from the under surface of the member l0 and are so spaced that they will frictionally engage the edges 32 and 33 of the tongue 25 as it extends across the joint 21 of the members 10 and l I. By this arrangement, these pins are placed in position by riveting or the upsetting of a head as at 34 as shown in Figure 5.

It will, thus, be apparent that as the tongue 25 engages these two pins 3% and .il, the members will be laterally aligned, while at the same time vertically aligned by means of the tongue enga ing the under surface of the frame member [0.

I claim:

In a bag frame, a pair of generally U-shaped members hinged together at their free ends to swing into side-by-side contiguous relation, a tongue fixed on the under side of one member to extend across the joint formed between the members and overlap the other member, and a pair of pins fixed to the under side of said other member and spaced to engage both sides of the tongue as it enters between them, and catch means in superimposed relation to said tongue on the upper side of said members to hold said members together.

WILLIAM A. DION.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date 7 Tueckmantel Apr. 14, 1925 Magnuson Apr. 14, 1942 Kupfermann et a1. Dec. 15, 1942 v FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Sweden Oct. 31, 1939 

